JouZo Beer Base

The representative of JouZo BEER BASE here, Masanori Sumitomo, spent 14 years at a major pharmaceutical company as an MR.

While he was there, he also earned an MBA and got involved in reconstruction support after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which is when he seems to have discovered a passion for community building. After that, while working with the local revitalization volunteer program on Osakishimo Island in Kure, Hiroshima, he launched Tobishima Beer Lab and learned brewing.

Exactly. He is from Anan City, and when he returned home, he was introduced to a 60-year-old lumber warehouse that had been a place he remembered fondly. He decided, "This must be fate," and renovated it into the brewery.

There is a pub space where you can see the brewing equipment through glass, and the concept is "a brewery you can go meet." You can literally see the brewers' faces.

Their flagship is "Sudachi Hazy IPA," made with sudachi from Anan City. It has a cloudy appearance, mild bitterness, and a gentle sudachi aroma that spreads softly. They also make "Sudachi West Coast IPA," which uses the same sudachi but is dry and crisp, showing two contrasting sides.

And then there's "Salty Lemon Saison," a saison made with lemons from Osakishimo Island in the Seto Inland Sea and Naruto salt. It won the silver medal in the Specialty Saison category at the International Beer Cup 2022. What's more, there was no gold award in that category, so it was effectively the top beer.

Exactly. It's great how the experience he gained on the islands of Hiroshima connects to the beer in Tokushima. Even the name "JouZo" reflects that: J stands for "Japan" and "local," while Z stands for "challenge." From pharmaceutical MR work to an MBA, earthquake recovery, island life, and then a brewery in his hometown - all of those experiences are packed into the beer.